Jesus Revolution | Courage Under Fire | Acts 4:1-12

Our host culture, for many reasons—some understandable—is oppositional to our faith in Jesus. We are unlikely at this stage to face the end of a knife or even lose our job for loving Jesus, but there is still opposition, and if we are honest, we do not want to contend with it.

If you are anything like me, the threat of opposition can create a palpable fear in you. And then, when you give in to the temptation to shrink in the face of resistance to your faith, a wave of shame usually follows. 

“I should have said more…” “I should have said something…” “I knew the truth and I pushed it down.”

But can I encourage you? Fear and shame should not have the power to silence your faith. Every person who practices the way of Jesus should be able to live a courageous faith.

I do not say that without empathy. Rest assured that I completely understand the fear and shame that arise from not being bold about my faith. I am intimately familiar with those emotions. But you can overcome those emotions.

Over the years, especially the last four years, I have gained what can only be called a holy confidence, and that confidence came through repeated exposure to the Holy Spirit. 

Being filled and refilled with God’s Spirit keeps the truest truth at the forefront of my mind—who I am in Jesus is what matters most. I encourage you to embrace that same truth, and courage will come, courage that does not fold in the face of aggressive or passive-aggressive opposition.

In Acts chapter four, Jesus’ followers find themselves similarly faced with a moment that will test their mettle.